Spool-adjusting device for musical instruments.



P. BROWN. SPOOL ADJUSTING-DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLIOATIOH FILED AP11 .25. 1910.

978,355, Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

xocmam 5L SM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODORE P. BROWN, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SIMPLEX PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SPOOL-ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,341.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE P. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at l vorcester in the county of Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Spool-Ad usting Device for Muthe aper to track properly; to provide means connected therewith whereby the ordinary rewinding mechanism can be thrown into and out of gear withoutaffecting the said adjustment; to provide a simple means controlled by a well-known portion of the winding mechanism for relieving the edges of the note-sheet on the take-up spool from all friction when the rewinding mechanism is started; and to provide for yieldingly holding the edges of the note sheet while it is being wound on the take-up spool, said means being so arranged as to be permitted to come into operation automatically when the rewinding mechanism is thrown out of gear.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in WhlOh- Figure 1 is a front. elevation of a portion of a musical instrument showing a preferred embodiment of this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of the adjusting devices for the music spool, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the rcwinding and takeup spool connections in plan.

Tt' invention is shown as applied to a musical instrument having a box for the music spool 11. ta ke-up spool 12. and, tracker 13. A motor 14lof ordinary kind is shown and a driving shaft 15 which is provided thereon with a un sable clutch 16 operated by a rod 17 so as to connect the shaft. 15 either with a wheel 18 or a wheel 19. As is well understood in this art. the wheel 18 is connected with a wheel 20 by a sprocket chain or the like which is located on a spindie 21 with which the music spoohll is connected. These connections are for rewinding. When the clutch 16 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 a pinion E22 thereon meshes with the gear 19 on a spindle 23 on which is located the take-up-spool 12. In this position. the parts are ready for the ordinary winding operation which takes place when the music is being played.

The parts so far described are well under stood in this art.

The spindle 21 is normally pressed out-. Wardly by a spring The spindle 26 at the other end of the box which supports the other end of the music spool is also movable and is pressed inwardly by a spring 27 in the casing 28. Pivotall v mounted on a bracket 30 is a lever 31 which is adjustably connected with the spindle 26 by means of a set screw 32-. This lever is connected by a link 33 with a lever 34 pivoted on a member 35 which is adjustably secured to a sliding rod 36 by means of a set screw. This lever 34 engages the end of the spindle 21. It will be obvious that on account of these connections the spindles 21 and 26 will always move oppositely when the spindle 21 is in contact with the lever 34-. In order toadjust these two spindles 21 and 26 both in the same directionso as to move the note sheet along the tracker to bring it into proper registration therewith without interfering with the relative adjustment of the two spindles. the rod 313,. and consequently the fulcrum of the lever 34. made longitudinally movable. For this purpose it is mounted to slide in the end of the box and has a bearing in a frame 37 spaced therefrom. A long lever 38 is pivoted on a bracket 3!) just outside the box and is pro vided with a transverse arm 40 which enters a slot 41 in the rod 36. This'lever extends through a passage in the box to the opposite end thereof and has a handle 42 just inside the box at its left side. Located at the top of the box on the inside is a bearingplate 48. and the lever is so made that its own resiliency forces it against this plate so that it will bear upon the same at all times. On account of the shape of the rod. does not affect the distance between the inner ends of the spindles 21 and 26.

As is well understood in this art theopcrating rod 17 is connected with a lever near the ends of which are spring-pressed brakes 46 and I7 adapted to' bear on wheels 48 and 49 connected respectively with the spindles 21 and 23. This lever is so arranged that when the parts are in position for the ordinary winding the lever moves over into position to take the brake 47 off the wheel 49 and to allow the brake 4G to engage the wheel 48. \Vhen the operating rod is in the opposite position the opposite condition prevails. Now when the lever 45 moves from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position in which the brake 47 is on and the brake i6 is oil, it enga es an arm 50 on a rod 51 and pushes this ro to the right. This rod is connected with two levers 52 and 53 which are pivoted, one on one side and the other on the other side of the spindle 23. These levers are connected with the movable flanges 54 of the take-up spool. On

-account of the fact that the two levers are pivoted on opposite sides of the spindle of this spool, the motion of the rod to the right will move the two flanges in opposite directions and in this case it moves them away from each other. It will be seen therefore that when the connections are set for rewinding the flanges of the take-up s 001 are automatically separated so that t ere will be no friction on the edges of the sheet due to the take-up spool. When the parts are restored to the ordinary winding position as shown in Fig. 1, a s ring 55 moves the rod 51 back and causes tie flanges 54 to come up to proper position so as to receive the paper from the music spool and wind it up evenly on the take-up spool. It will be seen therefore that this invention provides in a simple and eflicient way for the adjust-- ment of the music spool back and forth to proper position and for the separation of the flanges of the take-up spool during rewinding as well as for holding the flanges of the take-upspool up against the paper with a yielding pressure during the ordinary winding of the note sheet.

\l'hile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I am aware that many modifications can be, made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the sco )e of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Therefore I do not wishto be limited to all the details of consti'uctionherein shown an described, but

\Yhat I do claim is 1. In a musical instrument, the combination of a pair of spindles for holding the music spool, means wherebyjwhen one of said spindles is moved the other will be moved in the opposite direction, and means connected therewith for moving both spindles in the same direction without changing their distance apart.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for a spool, means for moving said supports in opposite directions, and means for adjusting said supports simultaneously in the same direction.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for a saool, a sliding rod, means for moving sai rod, a lever fulcrumed on said rod and adapted to move one of said supports, and a lever connected with the first named lever and adapted to move the other .support in the same direction.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for the opposite ends of a spool, means for movin said supports in o posite directions, a sli able rod, connections from the rod to said supports for movin them in the same direction when the rod slides, and a lever having an arm extending transversely with respect to the slidable rod, said rod having a slot for receiving said-arm.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for a spool, a slidable rod, connections from the rod to said supports for moving them in the same direction when the rod slides, and means for moving the supports in 0 posite directions without interfering with t e adjustment of the rod.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for a music spool, a slidable rod, connections from the rod to said supports for moving them in the same direction when the rod slides,- means for moving the supports in 0 without interfering with t e adjustment of the rod, a winding motor, and rewinding mechanism connected with one of said supports and adapted to operate in all positions of the slidable rod.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination of two supports for a music spool, means for moving said supports .in opposite directions, a slidable rod, connections from the rod to saidsupports for moving them in the same direction when the rod slides, a winding motor, rewindin'g mechanism connected with one of said supports and ada ted to operate in all positions of the slida le rod, a brake for the rewindin mechanism, a direct winding mechanism, a rake for the direct winding mechanism, a clutch for conposite directions erases nectingthe motor either with the winding or rewinding mechanism and for operating said brakes, a take-up spool, having movable flanges, and means whereby when the clutch is set to connect the motor with the rewind ing mechanism said brake lever will sepa-' rate the flanges of the takeup spool.

8. In a musical instrument, the combination of a motor, a winding mechanism, a rewindin mechanism, brakes for both of said mechanisms, a brake lever ada ted to throw one brake on and the other 0 when the motor is connected with or disconnected. from the rewinding mechanism, a take-up spool having movable flanges, and means operated by said brake lever for separating the movable flanges when the rewinding mechanism is connected with the motor.

9. In a musical instrument, the combination of a motor, a rewinding mechanism, and a take-up spool havingmovable flanges, of means for connecting the motor with the rewinding mechanism and simultaneously separating said flanges.

10. In a musical inst ""ient, the combination of a motor, a i lnding mechanism, and a take-up spool having movable flanges, a slidable rod, a pair or levers connected with said rod, each connected with one of said movable flanges, one lever being fulcrumed between the rod and the center of the movable flange, and the other being fulcrumed beyond the latter, an arm on said rod, and means for connecting the motor with the rewinding mechanism, said means being adapted to actuate said arm.

11. In a musical instrument, the combination of a take-up spool having movable flanges, a spindle on which the take-up spool is mounted, a pair of levers, one connected with each of said flarigesQone lever being Lt'ulcrumed on one side of thespindle and the other on the other side, a longitudinal sliding rod extending the length of the take-up spool to which both of said levers are connected, anda spring for normally moving said. lever in a direction to move flanges inwardly, and means for positively moving the rod in the opposite direction to separate the flanges.

12. In a musical instrument, the combination of t a take-up spool having movable flanges, a spindle on which the take-up spool is mounted, a pair of levers, one connected with each of said flanges, one lever being tulcrumed on one side of the spindle, and the other on the other side, a single longi tudinally sliding rod to which both of said levers are connected, and a spring for normally moving said lever in a direction to move both flanges inwardly.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THEODORE P. BROWN. Witnesses:

ALBERT E. FAY, C. Fonns'r 'WEssoN. 

